Rafael Nadal beat Andy Murray 6-2, 6-1 in the Indian Wells final, 2009 on hard court
Nadal had recently won the Australian Open. It was Murray's first loss at a Masters final, having won his first 2. The two had recently met at the Rotterdam final, with Murray winning
Nadal won 57 points, Murray 36
Serve Stats
Nadal...
- 1st serve percentage (26/43) 60%
- 1st serve points won (21/26) 81%
- 2nd serve points won (11/17) 65%
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (7/43) 16%
Murray...
- 1st serve percentage (34/50) 68%
- 1st serve points won (19/34) 56%
- 2nd serve points won (6/16) 38%
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (5/50) 10%
Serve Pattern
Nadal served...
- to FH 29%
- to BH 60%
- to Body 12%
Murray served...
- to FH 29%
- to BH 55%
- to Body 16%
Return Stats
Nadal made...
- 44 (23 FH, 21 BH), including 5 runaround FHs
- 5 Errors, all unforced...
- 5 Unforced (3 FH, 2 BH), including 1 runaround FH
- Return Rate (44/49) 90%
Murray made...
- 35 (11 FH, 24 BH), including 2 runaround FHs & 1 return-approach
- 7 Errors, comprising...
- 4 Unforced (2 FH, 2 BH)
- 3 Forced (2 FH, 1 BH)
- Return Rate (35/42) 83%
Break Points
Nadal 4/5 (4 games)
Murray 0
Winners (including returns, excluding aces)
Nadal 12 (8 FH, 2 BH, 2 OH)
Murray 6 (3 FH, 2 FHV, 1 OH)
Nadal's FHs - 3 cc (1 pass, 1 at net), 1 dtl pass and 4 inside-in
- BHs - 1 cc and 1 lob
Murray's FHs - 1 cc pass, 1 lob and 1 running-down-drop-shot dtl at net pass
- 1 FHV can reasonably be called an OH
Errors (excluding returns and serves)
Nadal 24
- 18 Unforced (11 FH, 7 BH)
- 6 Forced (3 FH, 2 BH, 1 FHV)
Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 43.3
Murray 37
- 23 Unforced (13 FH, 8 BH, 2 FHV)... with 1 BH pass at net
- 14 Forced (4 FH, 6 BH, 1 FHV, 3 BHV)... with 1 FH running-down-drop-shot at net
Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 43.5
(Note 1: all half-volleys refer to such shots played at net. Half -volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke counts)
(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented for these two matches are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
Nadal was 10/14 (71%) at net
Murray was...
- 10/21 (48%) at net, including...
- 2/5 (40%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 1/4 (25%) off 1st serve and...
- 1/1 off 2nd serve
---
- 0/1 return-approaching
- 4/4 (100%) forced back/retreated
Match Report
A strange match due to very windy conditions that cramp both players style and cap their ambitions on what appears to be a slow-ish court. Its difficult to tell what the court is like because both players hit so gently. Whatever the case, Nadal is able to play closer to normal than Murray is
Action is like an 80s clay court match - rolled in serves, consistent returns, very passive baseline play and trips to net being the way to attack
0 aces in the match and of the 12 return errors the 2 players combine for, all but 3 have been marked unforced. 68% first serves in is very high for Andy Murray, who generally has a huge first serve. Here, he just rolls it in. Note also high 16% serves to body. These aren't body serves per se, more like as safely placed as possible. Most are short as well as safely placed. Average pace hovers around 100mph. He probably doesn't serve more than 3-4 forceful serves all match - and those all come back
High return rates by players (Nadal 90%, Murray 83%). And the ones they miss appear to be wind related. Both return safely too. And then they rally
Nadal's number don't look too bad. 12 winners, forcing 14 errors and 18 UEs to finish +8 on points won forcefully relative to UEs. Murray's are outright poor - 6 winners, forcing 6 errors and 23 UEs. Beyond that, UEFI has captured action well. Virtually even (Nadal 43.3, Murray 43.5) and very low result accurately captures the hitting quality. Just putting ball in court stuff
Rallies are on the long side, which coupled with gentle hitting, makes for dull action. Murray in particular rarely hits an attacking shots. All his baseline winners are passes and he forces just 1 baseline error out of Nadal with a baseline shot. What very little he does beyond put-ball-in-court is well shy of what would be needed to force errors out of Nadal
Nadal does a bit better. Rarely, he's able to hit a powerful groundstroke - usually FH cc. Occasionally, he's able to run his favourite FH inside-in + inside-out combos to run Murray side to side. He tends not to persist with it if Murray runs a few balls. Generally, FH inside-out is the spear of Nadal's attacks. He doesn't go for the shot here. 0 winners inside-out but he has 4 inside-in
The wind is very strong. Regulation groundstrokes are blown about slightly. Murrays' slices in particular are blown sideways. One in particular swings like a baseball curve ball as it goes through. A Nadal serve that was about a foot above the net is called a let because the machine monitoring it went off (probably due to the wind). Couple of times, debris flies about court during a point
With such winds, one would expect bulk of points to end with UEs. And with a 1 & 2 scoreline, one might expect the loser to be highly error prone, but that's not quite what happens
Baseline-to-baseline UEs read Nadal 18, Murray 21 (Murray has 3 forecourt UEs too, including a BH pass attempt) which is close. Its Nadal's lead in winners (+6) and forcing errors (+8) that puts him so comfortably over
Both players look to come to net to attack. 14 approaches in 2 short sets is very high for Nadal and good number are neutral approaches, not coming in from commanding position. Murray comes in 21 times, including serve-volleying 5 times and return-approaching once. From the back, Murray's hitting is almost completely passive so and with Nadal being more consistent player, would have to come in to have any chance. Nadal wouldn't necessarily have to in the same way, but even his hitting is severely curbed and unable to construct points (move Murray around with a series of shots) regularly, he turns to coming in too
Good thinking from both. Murray needs to come in and given how feeble his groundies are. From Nadal's point of view, prospects of Murray hitting good passes seeing how he hits groundies is slim. Both come in behind tepid approach shots. Murray's passes do turn out to be feeble and he usually nets ball. Nadal's able to pass strongly and Murray's wins just 48% net points
Murray's problems are based around setting normally for his groundstrokes, which in the conditions, is too early. When ball holds up or blows to side, he's caught out and lead footed. Nadal waits a bit more and occasionally, counters last instant surprises with quick footwork. That difference, plus Nadal hitting a bit harder and being able to occasionally hit almost normal attacking shots is the difference in play
Match Progression
From 1-1, Nadal wins next 5 games. His first break is a tough, 14 point game with lots of long, passive rallies. Two excellent, dash-to-net BHVs give Nadal edge and on break point, Murray can't make a tough BHV
Second set is similar in that score is 2-2 before Nadal runs away to take the next 4 games. He's at net 3 times to break first to 30, throwing in a baseline FH inside-in winner to boot. Murray's at net regularly - including 3 serve-volleys - for the second break. Some good lobbing from both players in the game - Nadal has a BH winner and Murray a FH after being forced back and Murray is forced back on another point too. Curiously, Murray wins all 4 net points he retreated or was forced back on in the match. Couple of strong passes finish the game in Nadal's favour and he wraps up the match with a hold to love
Summing up, a match shaped by gusty winds, leading to rolled in serving, very passive baseline play and forays to net for attacking purposes. Nadal is able to hit harder, occasionally even attackingly, while remaining slightly more consistent from the back and passing strongly. Murray struggles more and is fully focused on just keeping the ball in play anyway he can. Nadal dealing with conditions a lot better and coming away with a very comfortable win
Stats for Australian Open final between Nadal and Roger Federer - (2) Duel Match Stats/Report - Nadal vs Federer, Australian Open finals 2009 & 2017 | Talk Tennis (tennis-warehouse.com)
Stats for pair's '08 US Open semi - (2) Match Stats/Report - Murray vs Nadal, US Open semi-final, 2008 | Talk Tennis (tennis-warehouse.com)
Nadal had recently won the Australian Open. It was Murray's first loss at a Masters final, having won his first 2. The two had recently met at the Rotterdam final, with Murray winning
Nadal won 57 points, Murray 36
Serve Stats
Nadal...
- 1st serve percentage (26/43) 60%
- 1st serve points won (21/26) 81%
- 2nd serve points won (11/17) 65%
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (7/43) 16%
Murray...
- 1st serve percentage (34/50) 68%
- 1st serve points won (19/34) 56%
- 2nd serve points won (6/16) 38%
- Double Faults 1
- Unreturned Serve Percentage (5/50) 10%
Serve Pattern
Nadal served...
- to FH 29%
- to BH 60%
- to Body 12%
Murray served...
- to FH 29%
- to BH 55%
- to Body 16%
Return Stats
Nadal made...
- 44 (23 FH, 21 BH), including 5 runaround FHs
- 5 Errors, all unforced...
- 5 Unforced (3 FH, 2 BH), including 1 runaround FH
- Return Rate (44/49) 90%
Murray made...
- 35 (11 FH, 24 BH), including 2 runaround FHs & 1 return-approach
- 7 Errors, comprising...
- 4 Unforced (2 FH, 2 BH)
- 3 Forced (2 FH, 1 BH)
- Return Rate (35/42) 83%
Break Points
Nadal 4/5 (4 games)
Murray 0
Winners (including returns, excluding aces)
Nadal 12 (8 FH, 2 BH, 2 OH)
Murray 6 (3 FH, 2 FHV, 1 OH)
Nadal's FHs - 3 cc (1 pass, 1 at net), 1 dtl pass and 4 inside-in
- BHs - 1 cc and 1 lob
Murray's FHs - 1 cc pass, 1 lob and 1 running-down-drop-shot dtl at net pass
- 1 FHV can reasonably be called an OH
Errors (excluding returns and serves)
Nadal 24
- 18 Unforced (11 FH, 7 BH)
- 6 Forced (3 FH, 2 BH, 1 FHV)
Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 43.3
Murray 37
- 23 Unforced (13 FH, 8 BH, 2 FHV)... with 1 BH pass at net
- 14 Forced (4 FH, 6 BH, 1 FHV, 3 BHV)... with 1 FH running-down-drop-shot at net
Unforced Error Forcefulness Index 43.5
(Note 1: all half-volleys refer to such shots played at net. Half -volleys played from other parts of the court are included within relevant groundstroke counts)
(Note 2: the Unforced Error Forcefulness Index is an indicator of how aggressive the average UE was. The numbers presented for these two matches are keyed on 4 categories - 20 defensive, 40 neutral, 50 attacking and 60 winner attempt)
Net Points & Serve-Volley
Nadal was 10/14 (71%) at net
Murray was...
- 10/21 (48%) at net, including...
- 2/5 (40%) serve-volleying, comprising...
- 1/4 (25%) off 1st serve and...
- 1/1 off 2nd serve
---
- 0/1 return-approaching
- 4/4 (100%) forced back/retreated
Match Report
A strange match due to very windy conditions that cramp both players style and cap their ambitions on what appears to be a slow-ish court. Its difficult to tell what the court is like because both players hit so gently. Whatever the case, Nadal is able to play closer to normal than Murray is
Action is like an 80s clay court match - rolled in serves, consistent returns, very passive baseline play and trips to net being the way to attack
0 aces in the match and of the 12 return errors the 2 players combine for, all but 3 have been marked unforced. 68% first serves in is very high for Andy Murray, who generally has a huge first serve. Here, he just rolls it in. Note also high 16% serves to body. These aren't body serves per se, more like as safely placed as possible. Most are short as well as safely placed. Average pace hovers around 100mph. He probably doesn't serve more than 3-4 forceful serves all match - and those all come back
High return rates by players (Nadal 90%, Murray 83%). And the ones they miss appear to be wind related. Both return safely too. And then they rally
Nadal's number don't look too bad. 12 winners, forcing 14 errors and 18 UEs to finish +8 on points won forcefully relative to UEs. Murray's are outright poor - 6 winners, forcing 6 errors and 23 UEs. Beyond that, UEFI has captured action well. Virtually even (Nadal 43.3, Murray 43.5) and very low result accurately captures the hitting quality. Just putting ball in court stuff
Rallies are on the long side, which coupled with gentle hitting, makes for dull action. Murray in particular rarely hits an attacking shots. All his baseline winners are passes and he forces just 1 baseline error out of Nadal with a baseline shot. What very little he does beyond put-ball-in-court is well shy of what would be needed to force errors out of Nadal
Nadal does a bit better. Rarely, he's able to hit a powerful groundstroke - usually FH cc. Occasionally, he's able to run his favourite FH inside-in + inside-out combos to run Murray side to side. He tends not to persist with it if Murray runs a few balls. Generally, FH inside-out is the spear of Nadal's attacks. He doesn't go for the shot here. 0 winners inside-out but he has 4 inside-in
The wind is very strong. Regulation groundstrokes are blown about slightly. Murrays' slices in particular are blown sideways. One in particular swings like a baseball curve ball as it goes through. A Nadal serve that was about a foot above the net is called a let because the machine monitoring it went off (probably due to the wind). Couple of times, debris flies about court during a point
With such winds, one would expect bulk of points to end with UEs. And with a 1 & 2 scoreline, one might expect the loser to be highly error prone, but that's not quite what happens
Baseline-to-baseline UEs read Nadal 18, Murray 21 (Murray has 3 forecourt UEs too, including a BH pass attempt) which is close. Its Nadal's lead in winners (+6) and forcing errors (+8) that puts him so comfortably over
Both players look to come to net to attack. 14 approaches in 2 short sets is very high for Nadal and good number are neutral approaches, not coming in from commanding position. Murray comes in 21 times, including serve-volleying 5 times and return-approaching once. From the back, Murray's hitting is almost completely passive so and with Nadal being more consistent player, would have to come in to have any chance. Nadal wouldn't necessarily have to in the same way, but even his hitting is severely curbed and unable to construct points (move Murray around with a series of shots) regularly, he turns to coming in too
Good thinking from both. Murray needs to come in and given how feeble his groundies are. From Nadal's point of view, prospects of Murray hitting good passes seeing how he hits groundies is slim. Both come in behind tepid approach shots. Murray's passes do turn out to be feeble and he usually nets ball. Nadal's able to pass strongly and Murray's wins just 48% net points
Murray's problems are based around setting normally for his groundstrokes, which in the conditions, is too early. When ball holds up or blows to side, he's caught out and lead footed. Nadal waits a bit more and occasionally, counters last instant surprises with quick footwork. That difference, plus Nadal hitting a bit harder and being able to occasionally hit almost normal attacking shots is the difference in play
Match Progression
From 1-1, Nadal wins next 5 games. His first break is a tough, 14 point game with lots of long, passive rallies. Two excellent, dash-to-net BHVs give Nadal edge and on break point, Murray can't make a tough BHV
Second set is similar in that score is 2-2 before Nadal runs away to take the next 4 games. He's at net 3 times to break first to 30, throwing in a baseline FH inside-in winner to boot. Murray's at net regularly - including 3 serve-volleys - for the second break. Some good lobbing from both players in the game - Nadal has a BH winner and Murray a FH after being forced back and Murray is forced back on another point too. Curiously, Murray wins all 4 net points he retreated or was forced back on in the match. Couple of strong passes finish the game in Nadal's favour and he wraps up the match with a hold to love
Summing up, a match shaped by gusty winds, leading to rolled in serving, very passive baseline play and forays to net for attacking purposes. Nadal is able to hit harder, occasionally even attackingly, while remaining slightly more consistent from the back and passing strongly. Murray struggles more and is fully focused on just keeping the ball in play anyway he can. Nadal dealing with conditions a lot better and coming away with a very comfortable win
Stats for Australian Open final between Nadal and Roger Federer - (2) Duel Match Stats/Report - Nadal vs Federer, Australian Open finals 2009 & 2017 | Talk Tennis (tennis-warehouse.com)
Stats for pair's '08 US Open semi - (2) Match Stats/Report - Murray vs Nadal, US Open semi-final, 2008 | Talk Tennis (tennis-warehouse.com)
